Lot
607 
1849 (Oct. 30) San Francisco, Cal. to London, England, folded letter with "San Francisco Cal. Nov 1" cds with matching "Paid" and framed "40" rating handstamp, carried by Cunard Line Canada from New York Dec. 12 to Liverpool arriving Dec. 24, Liverpool (12.24) backstamp and "9½d" due rating h.s., London "1/" shilling due rating; light edgewear and soiling, Fine. Estimate $300 - 400.
Letter carried by Pacific Mail Steamship Co. steamer California to Panama City and by Empire City Line steamer "Crescent City" from Chagres to New York. Liverpool struck "9½d" handstamp, a scarce rate marking used a very short time in 1849. U.S.-G.B. postal convention allowed mail from California (not a state yet) to be paid to the East Coast and unpaid from there to Great Britain. London marked one shilling postage due in error.
Realized: $1,000
Lot
608
1850 (Feb. 28) San Francisco, Cal. to London, England, folded cover with red "San Francisco '80' 28 Feb." cds and matching "Paid" handstamp for double rate to East Coast, carried by Cunard Line Europa from New York Apr. 17 to Liverpool Apr. 29, red London (4.30) arrival backstamp and manuscript "1/7" due rating; file fold, Very Fine; a rare double California use to London. Estimate $750 - 1,000.
Letter carried by Pacific Mail Steamship Co steamer Oregon to Panama and by Howland & Aspinwall Atlantic Line steamer "Cherokee" from Chagres to New York. Since California not yet a state, letters from there were considered as originating "beyond the U.S." under U.S.-G.B. treaty. Since letter paid to New York, remaining transit fees to be collected were 2x16¢ sea postage and 2x3¢ totaling 38¢ or 1 shilling 7 pence. Letter Bill accounting article 10 applied.
Realized: $625
Lot
609
1850 (May 1) San Francisco Cal. to London, England, folded letter with red "San Francisco, Cal., May 1" cds with manuscript "59¢" unpaid rating, New York "40" circled debit h.s. to G.B., carried by Cunard Line Asia from New York Jun. 12 to Liverpool arriving Jun. 22, red London (6.23) backstamp and manuscript "2/5½" due rating, Very Fine, a very scarce 59¢ California rate usage to England. Estimate $300 - 400.
Letter carried by Pacific Mail S.S. Co. "Panama" to Panama and U.S. Mail S.S. Co. "Georgia" from Chagres to New York.
Realized: $260
Lot
610
1850 (Jul. 24) San Francisco, Cal. to Bremen, folded cover with red "San Francisco Cal. 25 Jul" cds and sent unpaid, red "New-York Sep 6" cds with manuscript "64" cent debit to Bremen, carried by Ocean Line Washington from New York Sep. 20 to Bremerhaven arriving Oct. 6, light folds, F.-V.F., a very scarce 1st Bremen Treaty cover from California. Estimate $200 - 300.
Letter carried on Pacific Mail Steamship Company steamer "Panama" to Panama City and U.S. Mail Steamship Company steamer "Georgia" from Chagres to New York. U.S. debit to Bremen included 40¢ inland fee from West Coast and 24¢ treaty rate from New York to Bremen. Postage due in Bremen was 64 grote or 64¢.
Realized: $600
Lot
611
1850 (Oct. 29) San Francisco, Cal. to Rotterdam, Netherlands, folded letter with red "San Francisco Cal. 30 Oct" cds with matching "Paid" h.s. and red crayon "64" cents prepaid rating, carried by Cunard Line Arctic from New York Dec. 21 to Liverpool arriving Jan. 1, red London (1.2) backstamp and matching "U.S. PK. T." h.s. with manuscript "8" pence debit to Holland, Rotterdam (1.4) arrival backstamp and manuscript "70" Dutch Cents due rating; Very Fine, exceedingly rare 64¢ prepaid Bremen Mails rate from the West Coast. Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Letter carried by Pacific Mail Steamship Company steamer "Panama" to Panama and United States Mail Steamship Company steamer "Georgia" from Chagres to New York. Letter prepaid 64¢ for Bremen mail rate to Bremen from West Coast (40¢ + 24¢), not the normal routing for mail to Holland. Since no Bremen steamship service was available during the 1850-1851 winter, New York sent letter to G.B. in the open mails (a 56¢ rate), despite a Bremen Closed Mail being carried on this same voyage. London struck "U.S.PK.T." in red (scarce color used 1850-51 only) to show letter brought to G.B. by American packet. Dutch postage due included 40 Dutch Cents to G.B., 10 Dutch Cents transit through Belgium and 20 Dutch Cents internal postage. Very early California letter to Holland.
Lot
612
1851 (Mar. 15) San Francisco, Cal. to Barnes Common, England, folded letter with red "San Francisco Cal. 15 Mar." cds with matching "Paid" and "59" rating h.s. carried by Cunard Line Africa from New York April 23 to Liverpool arriving May 4, New York red "19" credit to G.B., red Liverpool (5.4) and London (5.5) transits, rare 59¢ California usage to England, less than 12 examples of this ratemarker recorded. Estimate $300 - 400.
Letter carried by Pacific Mail Steamship Co steamer "Northerner" to Panama and by U.S. Mail Steamship Co steamer "Cherokee" from Chagres to New York. Rate from West Coast included 40¢ cross country fee plus 19¢ transatlantic and British fees. San Francisco marked prepayment in pencil first (upper left) and later struck the "59" rate handstamp, a marking which had been introduced in August 1850.
Lot
613
1851 (Jul. 14) San Francisco, Cal. to Le Havre, France, folded letter endorsed "Per Steamer via Panama", red "San Francisco Cal. 15 Jul" cds and matching "Paid" and "22" rating handstamps, carried by Havre Line Humboldt from New York Aug. 23 to Havre arriving Sep. 4, red Le Havre (9.4) entry cds and manuscript "6" décimes postage due rating, Very Fine, one of only five recorded examples of this 22¢ error rate. Estimate $1,500 - 2,000.
The San Francisco postmaster didn't understand the July 1851 rate change. On mail to France he calculated the new British open mail rate by American packet as 22¢ (6¢ inland paid rate plus 16¢ sea postage). On mail to the U.K. he calculated the rate as 25¢ (6¢ U.S. inland paid rate plus 19¢ sea and U.K. postage). He created handstamps for the unauthorized 22¢ and 25¢ rates and used them for two months before shifting to the correct 26¢ and 29¢ rates, probably on instructions from Washington D.C. Since the foreign mails left San Francisco twice per month on contract steamships to Panama, letters showing these rates appear on only four outgoing mails. A similar example of this error rate realized $4,892 in lot 53 of our Sale 27 in December 2007.
Lot
614
1851 (Jul. 31) San Francisco, Cal. to London, England, folded letter with red "San Francisco Cal. 1 Aug" cds and matching "Paid" and "25" rating handstamps, carried by Cunard Line Asia from New York Sep. 10 to Liverpool arriving Sep. 21, New York red "19" credit to G.B., red London (9.22) arrival cds, light soiling, Fine, one of only three recorded examples of this 25¢ error rate. Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
Letter carried by Pacific Mail Steamship Co. "Oregon" from San Francisco to Panama City and by U.S. Mail Steamship Co. "Georgia" from Chagres to New York. When new U.S. rates went into effect on 1 July 1851, the San Francisco postmaster incorrectly assumed the new west coast rate to the U.K. was 25¢ (6¢ cross country plus 19¢ transatlantic fees) instead of the actual rate of 29¢. He used a "25" handstamp which existed at San Francisco. The 25¢ rate was in effect only two months before word reached him that his was rating the letters incorrectly.
Realized: $1,500
Lot
615
1851 (Aug. 1) San Francisco to Herford, Prussia, folded letter with black "San Francisco Cal. 1 Aug" cds and matching "Paid" and "3" rating handstamps, updated with red "Paid" and framed "30" rate h.s., carried by Collins Line Atlantic from New York Sep. 13 to Liverpool arriving Sep. 24, London (9.25) backstamp and "U.S. Pkt." straightline with manuscript "8" debit to Prussia, Aachen (9.26) backstamp and blue manuscript "10" silbergroschen due rating, Very Fine, the only recorded example of this 30¢ Bremen treaty error rate, one of the rarest California rates. Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Letter carried by Pacific Mail Steam Navigation Company steamer "Oregon" to Panama and United States Mail Steamship Company steamer "Georgia" from Chagres to New York. San Francisco did not know how to implement July 1, 1851 rate changes on foreign mails and produced a number of different error rates. Here the letter was paid 3¢ for internal rates only which was corrected to 30¢ for the rate to Bremen as interpreted by the San Francisco postmaster (24¢ sea postage to Bremen and 6¢ prepaid cross country rate to New York). He was unaware that Bremen treaty rate had been reduced to 20¢ with no U.S. inland fees required. This 30¢ rate was a Bremen Treaty error rate, corrected two months later. Since at least 26¢ had been paid, New York sent letter in the British Open mails. London marked the U.S.PKT, debited Prussia 8 pence, and sent letter to Aachen via Belgium. Aachen marked 10 sgr. postage due.
Realized: $1,150
Lot
616
1851 (Sep. 1) San Francisco, Cal. to Bordeaux, France, folded letter with red "San Francisco Cal. 1 Sep" cds and matching "Paid" and "26" rating h.s., carried by Collins Line Baltic from New York Oct. 11 to Liverpool arriving Oct. 22, London (10.23) backstamp, Paris (10.24) entry cds with black "8" decimes due h.s., Bordeaux arrival backstamp; Very Fine, This is the earliest example of the "26" rate handstamp used at San Francisco, the first voyage from San Francisco when the error rates were corrected. Estimate $400 - 600.
Letter carried from San Francisco by Pacific Mail Steamship Co. steamer "Tennessee" to Panama City and U.S. Mail Steamship Co. steamer "Ohio" from Chagres to New York. Although the rate was in effect from July 1, 1851, San Francisco used an error rate for letters to France of 22¢ until this voyage, when the correct rate was used. From September 1, 1851, France reduced the postage due on letters carried to G.B. by American packet from 15 decimes to 8 decimes, thereby eliminating double sea postage.
Realized: $325